Tiger Woods‘ upturned SUV and subsequent DUI arrest came as no surprise to the long-suffering millionaire locals of Jupiter Island, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
In fact, it appears the golf legend is a repeat offender when it comes to whizzing around the expensive island enclave, which is home to some of Florida‘s most rich and famous residents.
News of Woods’ latest crash spread like wildfire on Friday afternoon, as photos emerged of the sluggish 50-year-old stood alongside his stricken Range Rover, having clipped the back of a truck and trailer shortly after 2pm EST.
The impact flipped his vehicle onto its side, before Woods was able to clamber out of the passenger side window, only to be arrested by local cops shortly after when he showed ‘signs of impairment’ and refused to provide a urine sample.
But while the rest of the world was stunned by news of this near-death incident from golf’s greatest ever player, it appears to have been less of a shock for those who have an understanding of Tiger’s driving ability, or lack thereof.
The Daily Mail has spoken to a former longtime Woods employee, who wished to remain anonymous as he opened up on the truth behind the crash.
Tiger Woods stands alongside his Range Rover SUV after clambering out of the passenger side
Skid marks on the quiet residential road bear the scars of Woods’ latest driving shame
Woods only made his return to golf on Tuesday (pictured) but is now behind bars in Florida
‘The guy is a terrible driver… he drives like a bat out of hell very often on a road where lawn services are parked with heavy equipment,’ the source revealed.
‘I’ve been with him in the car going 55 or 60 mph, driving past cops who don’t seem to care.’
This time, though, local police had no choice but to intervene, with Woods put behind bars shortly after 3pm on Friday afternoon, destined to stay there for at least eight hours and until he is bailed out – again – by those closest to him.
Woods’ latest crash occurred on a road with a 30mph speed limit, as he attempted to overtake a truck that was pulling a pressure-washer device.
As revealed by the police, and as told by the scary photos of skid marks from the scene of the accident, he clipped the back of the trailer as it turned into a driveway and flipped his Range Rover onto its side.
Woods kisses girlfriend Vanessa Trump on the cheek on his return to golf on Tuesday night
Woods’ last rollover crash came in 2021, when he was seen speeding in LA County
When cops arrived, they found Woods ‘lethargic’. At a press conference, Sheriff John Budensiek revealed: ‘He is cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself, so he was careful in what he said and didn’t say. When it came time again for the test, the urine test at the jail, he stopped that.
‘On scene, we had [Drug Recognition] experts evaluating him and they believed from on scene that he was not impaired with alcohol, but they believe it was some type of medication or drug. And again, at the jail he cooperated with the breathalyzer, and then the urine [test] he wanted no part in.
‘He has a right to refuse that test. There is a statute that he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.’
Woods pictured with his two kids Sam (center) and Charlie (left) in Florida in 2023
Tiger is seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on suspicion of DUI on May 29, 2017
Our insider agreed that the golf icon, who only returned to the sport on Tuesday after months of injury rehab, is not one for ‘illegal drugs’.
‘I know the guy, that’s just not what he does,’ the source revealed, going on to explain that he believes Woods refused to provide a urine sample because he has taken heavy doses of prescription opioids from his repeated injuries.
‘He has been on tons of pain medication for years,’ the insider adds.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt in Woods’ latest brush with death, but it remains to be seen what happens next when he is released from jail and has to face up to the latest scandal on an ever-growing rap sheet.
